Troops in Chad will identify their 'distinct Irish nature'

IT WILL be important to identify the "distinct nature" of the Irish military contingent serving with the EU force in the African country of Chad, Minister of State Tom Kitt has told the Dáil.

Standing in for Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea during question time, Mr Kitt said that from day one, Defence Forces personnel would identify themselves "by means of the Irish flag on vehicles and the use of emblems.

"Importantly," Mr Kitt added, "we will communicate with the local community via radio and leaflets. This practice was followed previously and must be followed in this region. The information to date tells of a good response."

The Irish troops "will have control over their own area of operation. While there will be French leadership at battalion level, the second in command will be Irish. Consequently, there will be Irish involvement throughout the chains of command."

Mr Kitt was responding to Opposition concerns about Irish soldiers being mistakenly identified as from France, which is supplying the largest contingent of 1,300 troops for the peacekeeping operation in the west African country.

Ireland will have the second-largest contingent with 450 soldiers in place by the end of May. The Netherlands will deploy a contingent of 60 personnel with EUfor, which will be fully integrated into the Irish battalion.

Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said it was "important to have a clear demarcation between EUfor and the historical French presence in Chad, which is supportive of President [ Idriss] Déby, who is unpopular among many people. If there is any escalation in violence, we could be caught in the middle."

Labour defence spokesman Brian O'Shea said it was "disconcerting that in border areas, maps are imprecise and there is no clear demarcation of borders".

Referring to a recent incident when one French soldier was killed and another injured when they crossed the Chad border into Sudan at Tissi, Mr O'Shea said that "while securing the border is not part of the mission, a danger exists". It was important for "precise maps and the clear demarcation of borders" to be put in place.

The Minister of State said that Irish troops were being deployed in Goz Beida in eastern Chad and French forces were being deployed in a sector south of there encompassing the northeast of the Central African Republic.

"In addition, a French battalion will be based in Abeche. Poland will provide the main contingent in Iriba, north of the Irish sector."

The aim of the mission is to protect civilians in danger, particularly refugees and internally displaced persons, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and protect UN personnel.

Mr Kitt said the EUfor mission to Chad "is the most multinational military operation conducted in Africa by the European Union thus far", with at least 17 member states deploying troops.